CALGARY, AB (June 7, 2023): Industry Grants (NGIF IG), a division of NGIF Capital Corporation is providing $122,000 in grant funding to Vancouver-based startup, Anodyne Chemistries to accelerate the development of their bio-inspired carbon utilization platform.
This proprietary technology will transform carbon dioxide and natural gas into products previously produced from higher-emitting fossil fuels and result in emissions reduction.
Anodyne’s technology, the first of its kind, harnesses enzymes for carbon utilization and turns emissions into low-carbon fuels and specialty chemicals. It does so through a novel bio-electric process that harnesses renewable electricity to replace high-temperature, carbon-intensive processes. And because enzymes have evolved over millions of years to be energy and carbon efficient, there are no harmful by-products that require downstream clean-up and processing like conventional processes.
Image: Anodyne’s continuous flow reactor transforms CO2 into sustainable chemicals using immobilized enzymes.
“What I like about Anodyne’s clean technology is its low-energy and low-emissions solution to convert industrial emissions into chemical products using natural-based enzymes, electrolysis, and engineering,” said John Adams, President and CEO of NGIF Capital Corporation and Managing Partner of NGIF Cleantech Ventures. “NGIF Industry Grants and its focus on de-risking clean technologies through field trials and pilots are part of NGIF’s integrated model of industry validation, customer creation, and market commercialization.”
“As more companies and organizations adopt carbon-neutrality targets, they urgently need solutions that can decarbonize supply chains and reduce emissions at scale. At Anodyne we are building a carbon utilization process so that the products we rely on every day can be produced sustainably and trace their origins back to low or negative carbon sources,” said Iain Evans, CEO of Anodyne Chemistries Inc.
At the present time, the project is in the prototype testing phase and scaling up 500 times from its original proof of concept. The long-term goal is to build a multi-pilot plant to demonstrate the technology’s ability to generate numerous renewable chemical compounds from CO2.
“Canadians want and need the affordable, reliable, clean energy service offering they have come to expect from the natural gas industry. When we created NGIF, it was our vision to bring the entire natural gas value chain together to support cleantech development that enhances environmental and economic performance for the sector. I am glad to see our vision in action, as NGIF continues to support technologies like Anodyne’s proprietary carbon utilization technology,” said Timothy M. Egan, President and CEO, Canadian Gas Association and Chair, NGIF Capital Corporation.
Industry Grants Participants and Project Partners
About NGIF Industry Grants
NGIF Industry Grants is a first-of-kind, industry-led grant organization to fund early-stage startups developing solutions to environmental and other challenges facing Canada’s natural gas sector. NGIF Industry Grants develops, demonstrates, and de-risks these technology solutions through field trials and pilot projects to drive innovation and support environmental goals in Canada. NGIF Industry Grants’ investment focus is on existing natural gas production, transmission, distribution, storage, and end-use applications, as well as projects that will lead to the expanded production of emerging gaseous fuels like renewable natural gas and hydrogen. The organization has built a portfolio of startups, trusted partnerships with the government for co-funding opportunities, and a robust technical evaluation investment model. NGIF Industry Grants is operated by NGIF Capital Corporation.
About NGIF Capital Corporation
NGIF Capital Corporation is a Canadian venture capital (VC) firm offering grant and equity financing for startups that deliver solutions to the environmental and other challenges facing the natural gas sector. NGIF Capital Corporation is unique in how it brings Canada’s energy industry leadership to every investment. Like other VCs, it takes new companies and their ideas from concept to commercialization. Unlike other VCs, NGIF Capital Corporation has strong connections to every part of the gas value chain, from production through to end-use, offering it a means to test, develop, and accelerate the commercial implementation of innovative gas technology wherever it fits in the sector. The model benefits consumers, investors, and Canadian society as a whole. NGIF Capital Corporation operates NGIF Industry Grants (the original Natural Gas Innovation Fund), the NGIF Emissions Testing Centre, and NGIF Cleantech Ventures. NGIF Capital Corporation is wholly owned by CGA Enterprises, a venture of the Canadian Gas Association.
About Anodyne Chemistries Inc.
Anodyne is an industrial biotechnology and renewable chemicals company developing a new generation of sustainable chemicals and low-carbon fuels using synthetic biology and electrochemistry. For more details visit: https://anodynechemistries.com/
About Canadian Gas Association
The Canadian Gas Association (CGA) is the voice of Canada’s gaseous energy delivery industry, including natural gas, renewable natural gas (RNG), and hydrogen. CGA membership includes energy distribution and transmission companies, equipment manufacturers, and suppliers of goods and services to the industry. CGA’s utility members are Canadian-owned and active in eight provinces and one territory. CGA members meet 38 percent of Canada’s energy needs through a network of over 577,000 kilometers of underground infrastructure. The versatility and resiliency of this infrastructure allow it to deliver an ever-changing gas supply mix to over 7.4 million customer locations representing approximately two-thirds of Canadians. CGA members ensure Canadians get the affordable, reliable, clean gaseous energy they want and need. CGA is also working to constantly improve that gaseous energy offering, by driving forward innovation through the Natural Gas Innovation Fund (NGIF).
Fund Information:
John Adams
President and CEO, NGIF Capital Corporation
Managing Partner, NGIF Cleantech Ventures
613-748-0057
jadams@ngif.ca
Media Information:
Dini Philip
Communications Coordinator, NGIF Capital Corporation
(403)-389-2090
Dphilip@ngif.ca
